[01x04] December 12th, 2010

[01x04] December 12th, 2010

  • 10

    Votes: 4 2.5%

  • 9

    Votes: 18 11.1%

  • 8

    Votes: 52 32.1%

  • 7

    Votes: 53 32.7%

  • 6

    Votes: 15 9.3%

  • 5

    Votes: 8 4.9%

  • 4

    Votes: 3 1.9%

  • 3

    Votes: 5 3.1%

  • 2

    Votes: 2 1.2%

  • 1

    Votes: 2 1.2%
  • Total voters
    162
no word of a lie, I fell asleep again last night watching this episode (and I wasn't even drinking). I find Tanner's monotone, emotion-free delivery is soothing and relaxing. I will hold on to this this episode for the next time I have insomnia.
 
H.reynolds93 said:
They did put a Roush mustang around the UK track. Ive never seen one of those in a dealership.
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there is a Ford dealer he in Tampa that sells Rousch Mustangs as well as SVT and Saleen. they ARE in dealers.

by the way, watch the double posts
 
Haven?t come around to watch american Top Gear so far and this has been the first episode I?ve watched and I rather liked it. I like that they have actual opinions about the cars and don?t recite the promotional material - they are not uncritical. That?s a big plus. I?ve seen a lot of (for example) SLS reviews on TV and most of them were like the person doing it was talking so far up mercedes rectum you could barely hear them.
On the downside, the Start of the SLS bit almost gave me seizures. Kidding, but it was very annoyingly fast cut to the point where I thought I was gonna have a headache if that would have went on for 2 more seconds.
In the Studio-bits, the three come across rather stiff, but that?s okey in Season 1. I skipped the Interview I have to confess ... but no ten horses would have gotten me to sit through Kid Rock talking for more than 10 seconds straight.
The two good reviews made me give the Episode a 7/10. Can get better, seems already solid enough to watch regulary. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the series.
 
shellygrrl said:
The Lightning being "crap" had sod all to do with the RHD conversion. It had everything to do with it being too big for the narrow roads of the UK, not having a cover for the bed, the interior being rubbish, and it being only 2WD. Not to mention how it was built, and it doesn't have to pass the safety tests cars have to pass there.
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It had a lot to do with it being a RHD conversion. The interior of the regular SVT Lightening is not that horroble, the panels fit better and the steering isn't as numb as Clarkson said it was.
 
I gave it a 6.

It feels like the show is starting to come together, which is impressive for the 4th ever episode. The pickup review was my favourite part because a) Tanner is starting to show a bit of enthusiasm, b) they did something rather nation-specific and c) while the race was a bit of a copy, it was a good segment in its own right. The hug at the end should have been less wooden - I just didn't buy that Rutledge is as crazy as hugging a car is, so it felt forced.

The SLS review, well - I can't stand the looks of that car, so it was nice to hear someone else criticise them. And he was doing it in a style that we may come to know as his own, which I'm looking forward to.

The paintball challenge however seemed a bit pointless.
 
Actually I'm going to rate this one a 9. Now THIS is TopGear full stop. I enjoyed the whole show, even the wooden boring Tanner Foust. The Raptor segment was juicy, all that awsome noise! I was digging the noise of the SLS as much too, I do disagree a bit with Ferrara on the comments about the SLS but overall it was a good review. I wanted more of the military vehicle replacement film, seemed cut short and lacking Foust's participation--but I'm not surprised as I don't think it is his sort of thing.

I was impressed that this show can actually be good when they try. Hopefully the next eps won't let me down.
 
Something I've noticed that is missing, which wasn't originally missing from TGUK (although it is missing now) is reviews of normal cars. They've done an Evo, and the Raptor is borderline, but it'd be interesting to see how they do with a Ford Fiesta, Mazda2, BMW 135i, Mini Cooper, ... etc. Something I may reasonably be able to afford in a few years. :p

-Eric
 
rccardude04 said:
Something I've noticed that is missing, which wasn't originally missing from TGUK (although it is missing now) is reviews of normal cars. They've done an Evo, and the Raptor is borderline, but it'd be interesting to see how they do with a Ford Fiesta, Mazda2, BMW 135i, Mini Cooper, ... etc. Something I may reasonably be able to afford in a few years. :p

-Eric
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i think they are going for shock value to start things off. throw in the most wild cars to attract the young crowd because everyone wants to drive a Lambo/Viper/Raptor ect. i think youll see the "normal" stuff slowly phased in. thats just my opinion, im just guessing but it makes the most sense to me.
 
rccardude04 said:
Something I've noticed that is missing, which wasn't originally missing from TGUK (although it is missing now) is reviews of normal cars. They've done an Evo, and the Raptor is borderline, but it'd be interesting to see how they do with a Ford Fiesta, Mazda2, BMW 135i, Mini Cooper, ... etc. Something I may reasonably be able to afford in a few years. :p

-Eric
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They are only 4 episodes in, in the clip showing what is going to happen in the season they showed Rut driving a CR-Z against some bikers.
 
shellygrrl said:
Of course a 2WD pickup is useless anywhere
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I disagree, as I've had many 2WD trucks. My father did, too. Unless you're mud bogging or driving in deep snow, a 2WD truck can tow as much, carry as much, and be just as useful for most hauling duties as a 4x4 one, without the MPG and ride penalties of the forward axle.

I've towed travel trailers, race car trailers, hauled heavy loads in the beds, carried topsoil/mulch, quads and dirt bikes, etc. If you seriously think they're useless ANYWHERE, you need to stop listening to other inexpereinced peopel or peopel who ONLY live in norhtern climates like Maine and Alaska.

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The Lightning being "crap" had sod all to do with the RHD conversion. ... the interior being rubbish, and it being only 2WD. ...
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The interior being rubbish had everything to do with it being an aftermakrket RHD conversion, which didn't use Ford sourced interior parts, so the rubbish interior wasn't Ford's. Is that any clearer? It also has a lot to do with Clarkson's own personal biases and need to take shots at anything American.



rccardude04 said:
Something I've noticed that is missing, which wasn't originally missing from TGUK (although it is missing now) is reviews of normal cars. They've done an Evo, and the Raptor is borderline, but it'd be interesting to see how they do with a Ford Fiesta, Mazda2, BMW 135i, Mini Cooper, ... etc. Something I may reasonably be able to afford in a few years. :p

-Eric
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Well, the normal Raptor is only about $40k witch is right around where a normal 3 series BMW is at, and not much more than the average modern mid-size car. If I want to see a Camry review, I'll watch Motorweek. ;) Let's let the seasons progress so that they have more opportunity to review differnt kinds of cars.



As for this episode, I found it a touch weaker overall than Ep 3, but a damn sight better than the pilot (Ep 1). I liked that they did criticise the Mercedes, especially after Mercedes advertising in the first three episodes. And seriously, after seeing a lot of different car shows, and other regular TV, anyone saying they seriosuly were put to sleep by this episode is an ADHD teenager whose opinion I can safely ignore. ;)
 
Good points on the "normal" cars. It's nice seeing "LAMBOS" and what not, but it's really kinda old and boring at this point. LOL

-Eric
 
shellygrrl said:
Of course a 2WD pickup is useless anywhere.

The Lightning being "crap" had sod all to do with the RHD conversion. It had everything to do with it being too big for the narrow roads of the UK, not having a cover for the bed, the interior being rubbish, and it being only 2WD. Not to mention how it was built, and it doesn't have to pass the safety tests cars have to pass there.
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Merc63 said:
I disagree, as I've had many 2WD trucks. My father did, too. Unless you're mud bogging or driving in deep snow, a 2WD truck can tow as much, carry as much, and be just as useful for most hauling duties as a 4x4 one, without the MPG and ride penalties of the forward axle.

I've towed travel trailers, race car trailers, hauled heavy loads in the beds, carried topsoil/mulch, quads and dirt bikes, etc. If you seriously think they're useless ANYWHERE, you need to stop listening to other inexpereinced peopel or peopel who ONLY live in norhtern climates like Maine and Alaska.


The interior being rubbish had everything to do with it being an aftermakrket RHD conversion, which didn't use Ford sourced interior parts, so the rubbish interior wasn't Ford's. Is that any clearer? It also has a lot to do with Clarkson's own personal biases and need to take shots at anything American.
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i also agree with Merc63 with the 2WD comment. a lot of people who use their trucks to tow will agree that a 2WD, in most cases, is better. the engine's power is directly transferred to the rear wheels where all the weight is located giving it better traction, which is very important. 4WD, especially a Full-Time system, a lot of the weight is lessened in the front when towing which makes it almost useless.

and also on the F-150 Lightning review Clarkson did, i remember watching that. had it been just a regular F-150, it may have changed Clarkson's view on American pick-ups. a standard F-150 and a Lightning version are obviously different. the Lightning's sport-tuned suspension and accessories can really handicap the truck's rugged capabilities. a truck like the Lightning really doesn't make sense in country like England, or in some cases, it doesn't make sense to people who use trucks as work horses in any part of the world, including the US.

i think Ford should consider doing the RHD conversions in-house instead of contracting an outside aftermarket company if they're going to ship these trucks to other countries. Toyota's Voltz, which is an exact mechanical twin to the Pontiac Vibe, was built in California along with the Vibe. the only 2 differences between the 2 cars are the badges and the steering wheel placement. as you know, the Vibe was sold here in the US and the Voltz was a Japanese-only vehicle, all built in California. something Ford should of considered when shipping out the F-Series pick-ups overseas.
 
shellygrrl said:
The Lightning being "crap" had sod all to do with the RHD conversion. It had everything to do with it being too big for the narrow roads of the UK, not having a cover for the bed, the interior being rubbish, and it being only 2WD. Not to mention how it was built, and it doesn't have to pass the safety tests cars have to pass there.
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Two points I wish to make here. I drove a full size 1984 Chevy Silverado for three years while stationed in Germany. I had no issues with the narrowness of the roads and sharp turns. I did have problems with parking on the streets but there are many public parking lots to park in. So yes I believe indeed a pickup works just fine in Europe. Their trucks and buses seem to get around perfectly.

And this passed your so called safety test?
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Sik Pony said:
^"Peopel" :rofl:
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I'm not a secretary and my left hand is a bit dyslexic. So typing fast ends up with a number of letter switched, and I don't always catch all of them before hitting the "post" button. Sue me. ;)
 
alaskarat said:
And this passed your so called safety test?
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The Reliant Robin also didn't pass a safety test, because it has three wheels, and is as a result classed differently. It is not, technically, a car.

As for the episode, it's actually the first time I've watched one, and I think the series has promise, and the hosts will be good. However - and this is a problem with every History Channel show I've watched - the voiceover recording sucks. It seems like they're forced to do takes until they can't muster up any enthusiasm, and that is the take they use. Maybe it's because History producers also do lots of things about pyramids and other serious subjects, but it's kind of annoying that the presenters can get enthusiastic and passionate on screen, but their voiceover recording is just so dry.
 
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Merc63 said:
I'm not a secretary and my left hand is a bit dyslexic. So typing fast ends up with a number of letter switched, and I don't always catch all of them before hitting the "post" button. Sue me. ;)
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not a big deal, i cant type for shit either and sometimes these peopel give me crap about it as welll
 
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